EDUCATION

It is May. In a few short weeks graduates
throughout the land will be flinging their
caps, hats and mortars into the air accompanied
by shouts of pride, success and "freedom".
At elementary schools and universities,
middle schools and high schools, boys and
girls and
young men and women will experience a swelling
of the chest and the smell of excitement
for their futures. What they have experienced
in the classroom will, to a great degree,
dictate what they will experience in the
world outside the halls of education. Here
then are set down some wise, some witty,
some concerned and some cavalier
quotations regarding education in general,
and that of women in particular. To
all the graduates, young and old, I say
- Congratulations!
- In sisterhood, Elaine
Bernstein Partnow, Editor

In school books, the Dick and Jane syndrome
reinforced our emerging attitudes. The arithmetic
books posed appropriate conundrums: "Ann
has three pies . . . Dan has three rockets.
. . ." We read the nuances between
the lines: Ann keeps her eye on the oven;
Dan sets his sights on the moon."Down
with Sexist Upbringing" by American
Letty Cottin Pogrebin, columnist, writer,
editor, 1939- ; included in The First
Ms. Reader, Francine Klagsbrun,
ed., 1972

....only that education deserves emphatically
to be termed cultivation of mind which teaches
young people how to begin to think.A
Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)
by Mary Wollstonecraft, author, feminist,
1759-1797

Objection: Women do not desire learning./
Answer: Neither do many boys...yet I suppose
you do not intend to lay fallow all children
that will not bring forth fruit of themselves.An Essay to Revive the Ancient Education
of the Gentlewomen (1673) by Bathsua
Makin, English author, tutor, scholar,
1608/12-1674/75

"You talk to me about educating my
children; but what's the use of it...The
more they know the wuss it will be for 'em;
for they won't keep company with their own
color, and white folks won't associate with
them, and thar they are shut up by themselves...and
they won't be any thing but just what I
am, a nigger that every body despises."Liberia (1853) by Sarah Josepha
Hale, American writer, editor, poet,
1837-1877; first woman magazine editor in
U.S.; established Thanksgiving as national
holiday; established Mount Vernon as national
shrine

Real education should educate us out of
self into something far finer--into a selflessness
which links us with all humanity. Political
education should do the
same.My Two Countries (1923) by Nancy
Astor, American/British politician,
1879-1964; first woman to sit in British
House of Commons; Lord Mayor of Plymouth;
leader of women's and children's rights

"We have strict orders on how to teach.
There are certain methods that must be employed.
Your way is easier to learn, but it hasn't
been approved by the school board for use
in the classroom."
The Becker Scandal (play; 1968) by Viña
Delmar, American playwright, 1905-1990

"To me education is a leading out
of what is already there in the pupil's
soul. To Miss Mackay it is a putting in
of something that is not there, and that
is not what I call education, I call it
intrusion."
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961)
by Muriel Spark, Scottish poet, writer,
1918-

"I believe in the rational, but not
in the magical power of education."Vivian (1812) by Maria Edgeworth,
Irish essayist, novelist, 1767-1849

In early life, and probably even today,
it is not sufficiently understood that a
child's education should include at least
a rudimentary grasp of religion, sex, and
money. Without a basic knowledge of these
three primary facts in a normal human being's
life--subjects which stir the emotions,
create events and opportunities, and if
they do not wholly decide must greatly influence
an individual's personality--no human being's
education can have a safe foundation.Search for a Soul (1947) by Phyllis
Bottome, English/American novelist,
1884-1963

. . . a good education is another name
for happiness.Essays (1841) by Ann Plato,
African-American poet, fl. 1840s; author
of second volume of poetry by a Black woman
published in the United States

Now, if the principle of toleration were
once admitted into classical education --
if it were admitted that the great object
is to read and enjoy a language, and the
stress of teaching were placed on the few
things absolutely essential to this result,
if the tortoise were allowed time to creep,
and the bird permitted to fly, and the fish
to swim, towards the enchanted and divine
sources of Helicon -- all might in their
own way arrive there, and rejoice in its
flowers, its beauty, and its coolness.Little Foxes (1865) by Harriet
Beecher Stowe, American writer, social
critic, 1811-1896

Computers can do all the left hemisphere
processing better and faster than the human
brain. So what's left for the human brain
is global thinking, creative thinking, intuitive-problem
solving, seeing the whole picture. All of
that can not be done by the computer. And
yet the school system goes on, churning
out reading, writing, and arithematic, spelling,
grammar.
Quoted in article in Common Ground of
Puget Sound (Fall 1989) by Betty
Edwards, American author, researcher,
artist, fl. 1940s

Learning, while at school, that the charge
for the education of girls was the same
as that for boys, and that, when they became
teachers, women received only half as much
as men for their services, the injustice
of this distinction was so apparent, that
I resolved to claim for my sex all that
an impartial Creator had bestowed, which,
by custom and a perverted application of
the Scriptures, had been wrested from women.Lucretia Mott, American abolitionist,
suffragist, Quaker minister, 1793-1880;
Quoted in Biography of Distinguished
Women (1876) by Sarah Josepha Hale

I could wish that all young persons might
be exhorted to...read the great book of
nature, wherein they may see the wisdom
and power of the Creator, in the order of
the universe, and in the production and
preservation of all things.Anne Baynard, English scholar, 1672-1697;
Quoted in Biography of Distinguished
Women (1876) by Sarah Josepha Hale

If one considers the charm of human speech
one is bound to acknowledge the inferiority
of one who does not possess a correct spoken
language; and an aesthetic conception in
education cannot be imagined unless special
care be devoted to perfecting articulate
language.The Montessori Method (1912; Anne
Everett George, tr.) by Maria Montessori,
Italian physician, educator, writer, 1870-1952;
originator of Montessori Method of education;
first Italian woman to receive M.D. from
University of Rome

The greatness of the human personality
begins at the hour of birth. From this almost
mystic affirmation there comes what may
seem a strange conclusion: that education
must start from birth. The Absorbent Mind (1967) by Maria
Montessori, Ibid.

Education, in its largest sense, is a thing
of great scope and extent. It includes the
whole process by which a human being is
formed to be what he is, in habits, principles,
and cultivation of every kind...You speak
of beginning the education of our son. The
moment he was able to form an idea his education
was already begun. Miscellaneous Pieces in Prose (1773)
by Anna Letitia Barbauld, English
editor, poet, essayist, 1743-1825

Since a time has come, Mademoiselle, when
the severe laws of men no longer prevent
women from applying themselves to the sciences
and other disciplines, it seems to me that
those of us who can, should use this long-craved
freedom to study and to let men see how
greatly they wronged us when depriving us
of its honor and advantages. And if any
woman becomes so proficient as to be able
to write down her thoughts, let her do so
and not despise the honor but rather flaunt
it instead of fine clothes, necklaces, and
rings. For these may be considered ours
only by use, whereas the honor of being
educated is ours entirely.Louise Labé, French feminist,
poet, linguist, soldier, 1524/25-1566; Quoted
in Uppity Women of Medeival Times (1997)
by Vicki León

The only thing better than education is
more education.Progress to Freedom (1942) by Agnes
E. Benedict, American educator,1889-1950

The arts personalize knowledge and visions,
demanding an ever growing development of
the mind and spirit. We do our children
and our country ill service by not supporting
them adequately in our schools.Letter to Elaine T. Partnow (19 December
1989) by Shirley Trusty Corey, American
arts-in-education specialist, educator,
193?-

Bid the long-prisoned mind attain
A sphere of dazzling day,
Bid her unpinion'd foot
The cliffs of knowledge climb,
And search for Wisdom's sacred root
That mocks the blight of time.
Zinzendorff, and Other Poems (1836)
by Lydia Howard Sigourney, American
magazine editor, author, poet, teacher,
1791-1865

"The book of Nature, my dear Henry,
is full of holy lessons, ever new and ever
varied; and to learn to discover these lessons
should be the work of good education; for
there are many persons who are exceedingly
wise and clever in worldly matters, and
yet with respect to spiritual things are
wholly blind and dark, and are as unable
to look on divine light as the bats and
moles to contemplate the glory of the sun's
rays at midday."
from The Works of Mrs. Sherwood,
Vol. I (1856) by Mary Martha Sherwood,
English author, 1775-1851

Bryn Mawr had done what a four-year dose
of liberal education was designed to do:
unfit her for eighty per cent of the useful
work of the world.Song of Solomon (1977) by Toni
Morrison, African-American editor, book,
novelist, 1931- ; first black woman to win
Nobel Prize, 1993; Pulitzer, 1988

If it were customary to send little girls
to school and to teach them the same subjects
as are taught to boys, they would learn
just and fully and would understand the
subtleties of all arts and sciences. Indeed,
maybe they would understand them better...for
just as women's bodies are softer than men's,
so their understanding is sharper.La Cité des Dames [The City
of Women] (1404) by Christine de Pisan,
Italian/French scholar, feminist, author,
poet, balladeer, 1363/65-1430/31; first
professional female author in western Europe

Will it be said that the judgement of a
male two years old, is more sage than that
of a female's of the same age? I believe
the reverse is greatly observed to be true.
But from that period what partiality! how
is the one exalted and the other depressed,
by the contrary modes of education which
are adopted! the one is taught to aspire,
and the other is early confined and limited.

Article in The Massachusetts Magazine
(March & April 1790) by Judith Sargent
Murray, American feminist, author, playwright,
poet, 1751-1820

...unless society recognises that its
responsibility extends far beyond the provision
of free schooling, the money spent on state
education is largely wasted. School becomes
just another way of institutionalising the
poor.
Article in Nova magazine (January
1973) by Eva Figes, German/English
novelist, 1932-

Instead of focusing our attention on developing
readiness for academic achievement promulgating
middle-class standards and behavior, we
ought to be spending our time and our money
on ways in which to help every child to
feel that he is a person, that he is lovable
and that he can contribute something of
value to others.The Conspiracy Against Childhood
(1967) by Eda J. Le Shan, American
family counselor, educator, writer, 1932-

Anyone who would attempt the task of felling
a virgin forest with a penknife would probably
feel the same paralysis of despair that
the reformer feels when confronted with
existing school systems.
The Century of the Child (1909) by Ellen
Key, Swedish writer, feminist, 1849-1926

...so quick was I at picking up the language
[Chinese] that I was soon able to prompt
my brother whenever he got stuck. At this
my father used to sigh and say to me: "If
only you were a boy how proud and happy
I should be." But it was not long before
I repented of having thus distinguished
myself; for person after person assured
me that even boys generally become very
unpopular if it is discovered that they
are fond of their books. For a girl, of
course, it would be even worse...Murasaki Shikibu Nikki [Diary] by
Murasaki Shikibu, Japanese poet,
diarist, lady-in-waiting, novelist, 974-1031?;
reputed to have written the world's first
novel [The Tale of Genji], (1001-1015)

I am convinced that we must train not only
the head, but the heart and hand as well.This
Is Our China (1940) by Mme. Chiang
Kai-shek, Chinese reformer, educator,
sociologist, 1898-?

A government's responsibility to its young
citizens does not magically begin at the
age of six. It makes more sense to extend
the free universal school system downward--with
the necessary reforms and community control
that child care should have from the start.
Article in Ms. magazine (April 1974)
by Gloria Steinem, American feminist,
editor, writer, 1934- ; New York magazine
co-founder, 1968; Ms. magazine co-founder,
1972

We need to give up the notion of a single
ideal of the educated person and replace
it with a multiplicity of models designed
to accommodate the multiple capacities and
interests of students. We need to recognize
multiple identities.
Article in Phi Delta Kappan (January
1995) by Nel Noddings, American educator,
author, 1929-

In an age when violence among school-children
is at an unprecedented level, when children
are bearing children with little knowledge
of how to care for them, when the society
and even the schools often concentrate on
materialistic messages, it may be unnecessary
to argue that we should care more genuinely
for our children and teach them to care.
However, many otherwise reasonable people
seem to believe that our educational problems
consist largely of low scores on achievement
tests.Nel Noddings, Ibid.

"There; how d'ye like that, eh? A
liberal education in twelve volumes, with
an index."
Pilgrimage, Vol. II, (1938) by Dorothy
Miller Richardson, English writer, 1873-1957

The most sure, but at the same time the
most difficult expedient to mend the morals
of the people, is a perfect system of education.Catherine II of Russia, German Russian
empress, 1729-1796; Quoted in Women in
World History Curriculum (womeninworldhistory.com;
1996-9)

NINIAN. Education: I ain't never had it
and I ain't never missed it.Miss Lulu Bett (play; 1920) by Zona
Gale, American writer, 1874-1938; Pulitzer,
1921

In the pursuit of an educational program
to suit the bright and the not-so-bright
we have watered down a rigid training for
the elite until we now have an educational
diet in many of our public high schools
that nourishes neither the classes nor the
masses.Out of These Roots (1953) by Agnes
Meyer, American translator, social worker,
writer, journalist, 1887-1970?

Not too soon and not too late; the secret
of education lies in choosing the right
time to do things.The Little Virtues (1985; Dick Davis,
tr.) by Natalia Ginzburg, Italian
writer, politician, playwright, 1916-1991;
Premio Strega, 1964

We were delirious with learning, discovering
art, growing in self-esteem, and still doing
the laundry.Kathleen Betsko, co-author with Rachel
Koenig of Interviews with Contemporary
Women Playwrights (1987) English theater
historian, editor, playwright, 1939-

Partnership education helps students look
beyond conventional social categories, such
as capitalism versus communism, right versus
left, religious versus secular, and even
industrial versus preindustrial or postindustrial.
They can instead begin to focus on relationships,
and on the underlying question of what kinds
of beliefs and social structures support
or inhibit relations of violence or nonviolence,
democracy or authoritarianism, justice or
injustice, caring or cruelty, environmental
sustainability or collapse.Tomorrow's Children: a Blueprint For
Partnership Education in The 21st Century
(1999) by Riane Eisler, Austrian/Cuban/American
author, social historian, 1931-; founder,
Center for Partnership Studies, International
Partnership Network

...it has always seemed strange to me that
in our endless discussions about education
so little stress is ever laid on the pleasure
of becoming an educated person, the enormous
interest it adds to life. To be able to
be caught up in the world of thought--that
is to be educated.Edith Hamilton, American translator,
classical scholar, writer, 1867-1963; Quoted
in the Bryn Mawr School Bulletin (1959)

She thought of the tools she had gathered
together, and painstakingly learned to use.
Future probes, Tarot and I Ching and the
wide wispfingers from the stars . . . all
these to scry and ferret and vex the smokethick
future. A broad general knowledge, encompassing
bits of history, psychology, ethology, religious
theory and practices of many kinds. Her
charts of self knowledge. Her library. The
inner thirst for information about everything
that had lived or lives on Earth that she'd
kept alive long after childhood had ended.The Bone People (1983) by Keri
Hulme, Maori New Zealander painter,
writer, 1947

Such ignorance. All the boys were in military
schools and all the girls were in the convent,
and that's all you need to say about it.Katherine Anne Porter, American writer,
1890-1980; quoted in the Los Angeles
Times (7 July 1974); Pulitzer, 1966

Schooling is what happens inside the walls
of the school, some of which is educational.
Education happens everywhere, and it happens
from the moment a child is born--and some
people say before--until a person dies. Sara Lawrence Lightfoot, African-American
educator, author, sociologist, writer, 1954;
quoted in A World of Ideas (1989)
by Bill Moyers

A liberal-arts education is supposed to
provide you with a value system, a standard,
a set of ideas, not a job. The fact is,
of course, that the liberal arts are a religion
in every sense of that term. [And if] the
liberal arts are a religious faith, the
professors are its priests. The Case Against College (1975)
by Caroline Bird, American lecturer,
critic, social, writer, 1915

I have not forgotten how I used to take
a child every year to the sea, as to a maternal
element better fitted than I to teach, ripen,
and perfect the mind and body I had merely
rough-hewn."Look!" (1929) by Colette,
French writer, 1873-1954; first president
of Goncourt Academy

Elaine
Bernstein Partnow is the editor
of "Women of Wisdom," and she is a perfect
fit for this task. Compiler of the noted
work The
Quotable Woman, The First 5,000 Years,
Elaine started working on the first edition,
way back in 1974, she was making the transition
from actor to writer. Now in its 5th edition.
The
Quotable Woman has become the standard
book of quotations for women's studies programs
and organizations all over the English-speaking
world. She also wrote The
Female Dramatist a few years back, and
has just came out with a new collection,
The
Quotable Jewish Woman, Wisdom, Inspiration
and Humor from the Mind and Heart. Elaine
has marveled at how her work in women's
history has changed who she is and how she
is. Ever eager to share that experience
with others, she merged her two passions
- acting and women's studies - and began,
in 1984, to present living history portraits
of notable women to civic and educational
institutions. To date she has given more
than 400 such presentations to upwards of
50,000 people, not only across the U.S.A.,
but in Mexico and even China! You can find
out more about Elaine by visiting her web
site: www.TheQuotableWoman.com.